What do Caribbean steel drums, the London 2012 Velodrome and the quest for sustainable energy have in common? They all involve the work of engineers. Engineering provides some of the most exciting applications of maths, which impact on all our lives every day. Open Door 1 and discover the mathematics behind engineering.

Most of us take for granted that we can carry our entire music library in our pocket or whip out Google maps on our phones when we get lost. But few of us realise that it's physics and maths we have to thank for these marvellous inventions.

Tomorrow John D. Barrow, cosmologist, best-selling author and director of Plus, will be starting a lecture series on maths and sport at Gresham College in London. The first lecture is entitled How fast can Usain Bolt run? and there'll be five more lectures until the end of March, looking at Olympic sports from rowing to jumping. All lectures are free.